Above-median FMR - Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA is $1,331/month - 53rd percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#211 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 18.6% above market ; FMR rows touch Clarke County, Madison County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County .
Upper-half placement for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA
Above the national median but shy of the top quartile. Closest amounts: New Orleans-Metairie, LA HUD Metro FMR Area; Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA MSA; Greensboro-High Point, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Barry County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area .
Low-FMR contrast set: Arecibo, PR Metro Area, Anniston-Oxford, AL MSA, Boone County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, Amarillo, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, Bay City, MI MSA, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA .
GA-state FMR neighbors for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside GA: Macon-Bibb County, GA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,307); Warner Robins, GA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,362); Brunswick-St. Simons, GA MSA ($1,293); Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,261); Hinesville, GA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,406); Rome, GA MSA ($1,192); Valdosta, GA MSA ($1,192); Gainesville, GA MSA ($1,514) . Alphabetical “nearby” lists are intentionally not used here - amount proximity is the comparison that matters for payment standards.
What are the HUD FY2026 bedroom FMRs for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,159/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,183/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,331/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,734/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,831/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA
HUD lets each Public Housing Authority set its payment standard between 90% and 110% of the published Fair Market Rent for the bedroom size served. These dollar amounts are derived from HUD FY2026 FMR for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA; your PHA may choose a figure inside this band. This is not a quote for a specific unit, availability, or waitlist status.
| Size | HUD FMR | 90% floor | 110% ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,159/mo | $1,043/mo | $1,275/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,183/mo | $1,065/mo | $1,301/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,331/mo | $1,198/mo | $1,464/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,734/mo | $1,561/mo | $1,907/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,831/mo | $1,648/mo | $2,014/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,331/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,198–$1,464/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA
Published two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for this HUD area across FY2022-2026. Year-over-year deltas compare adjacent fiscal years only. This is a historical HUD reference-rent series, not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, availability, eligibility, or waitlist result.
- Latest 2-BR
- $1,331
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- +8.7%
- from FY2025 $1,225
- Span change
- +48.1%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $899/mo | - |
| 2023 | $995/mo | +10.7% |
| 2024 | $1,169/mo | +17.5% |
| 2025 | $1,225/mo | +4.8% |
| 2026 | $1,331/mo | +8.7% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,122/mo → 18.6% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA.
GA agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in GA whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- Housing Authority of the City of Albany
- Housing Authority of the City of Newnan
- CITY OF ATLANTA, Dept. of Housing and Community Development
- Athens Housing Authority
- ETOWAH AREA CONSOLIDATED
- FLINT AREA CONSOLIDATED
- Housing Authority of the City of Abbeville
- Housing Authority of the City of Adel
- Housing Authority of the City of Alamo
- Housing Authority of the City of Alma
Full near-amount ladder
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,331
- Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA MSA · $1,331
- Greensboro-High Point, NC HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,330
- Barry County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,334
- Wildwood-The Villages, FL MSA · $1,328
- York-Hanover, PA MSA · $1,335
- Kankakee, IL MSA · $1,326
- Monroe, MI MSA · $1,326
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA · $1,338
- Tyler, TX MSA · $1,338
- San Angelo, TX MSA · $1,339
- Harrisonburg, VA MSA · $1,322
What to do with this FMR desk
Athens-Clarke County, GA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,331/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+48.1% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (18.6% above market). Metro gap page
- Confirm how PHAs may set payment standards at 90-110% of FMR, and why the two figures are not interchangeable. FMR vs payment standard
FMR is HUD's published Fair Market Rent for this FMR area. It is not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, eligibility result, or waitlist status. Confirm any leasing figure with the PHA that serves the unit.
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent (FY2026) ; Census ACS median gross rent. Confirm the live PHA figure before leasing. Methodology.
Verify with HUD → · Verify with U.S. Census Bureau → · Set a September HUD update reminder